


Creativity in Shackles

by princelogical



Series: Sanders Sides Misc. Work [16]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with no happy ending, Gen, dark!Virgil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 00:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14007819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princelogical/pseuds/princelogical
Summary: “We’re not going through with this, Roman.”“Stop being a baby for five seconds and let me do what’s best for Thomas instead of holding him back!”





	Creativity in Shackles

Thomas is six years old and he’s drawing a dinosaur just as the teacher instructed. But then Roman’s standing on a pedestal in the mindpalace with a megaphone to his lips screaming, “Give it wings! Give it wings, Thomas!”

“No,” Virgil hisses angrily. “He’s just supposed to draw a dino.”

Roman huffs and glares at Virgil. “Shush now, darkling.” Virgil scowls at the nickname. “He can draw wings if he wants.”

“The teacher said to draw a dino.”

“Kiddos, don’t fight-” Patton tries.

“He can draw it with wings!” Roman shouts.

“No! The teacher will get mad!” Virgil yells, even louder. He’s vaguely aware Patton looks terrified of him. Roman reaches for the foam sword strapped to his belt.

“You will not trap his Creativity, you fiend!”

“Roman, it is purely illogical to further upset him,” Logan said.

“No, let him stab me with a stupid foam sword,” Virgil growls. “See what happens.”

Roman lets out a loud battle cry and charges toward Virgil and slams the foam into the other trait’s chest. Virgil shoves Roman in the chest and he falls over with a quiet, “oof.”

“Five more minutes!” the teacher calls. Thomas draws at a more rapid pace.

“Let him just draw wings!” Roman says and tears prick his eyes. “Please!”

“No! It’s a stupid idea,” Virgil snaps.

Roman snatches up the megaphone and goes to shout into it again. Virgil dives across the room and slams into Roman, knocking him over. Patton bursts into tears as Virgil effectively covers Roman’s mouth with his hands. Roman squirms and claws and kicks but Virgil doesn’t let up until the teacher comes through and gathers the papers.

Thomas’ dinosaur doesn’t have wings.

///

“I have an idea!” Roman shouts, running into the living room of the mind palace. He holds several papers in his hands and a grin is spread across his face.

“Oo, what is it, Princey?” Patton asks giddily, standing up from the couch with a grin.

“I know how we’re gonna ask Henry to senior prom!” Roman says. That catches Virgil’s attention. He looks up hesitantly and eyes Roman as he unfolds the papers. “Thomas will _sing_ this song I wrote, right? And he’ll do it in this costume- see, Patton?”

“Oh, it’s pretty!” Patton exclaims.

Virgil looks down at the papers and scowls. “Henry doesn’t even like Thomas,” Virgil grumbles.

“We are not certain of that information,” Logan says.

“It’s likely,” Virgil says, crossing his arms. “Henry’s only been with girls.”

“He might be bisexual!” Roman says with a glare. “You don’t know.”

“Oh please, he’s probably not. It’s useless,” Virgil says. “Thomas will only end up getting hurt and his heart will get broken and no one likes to see that.”

Patton slowly lowers his hands. “You really think Henry would hurt Thomas? They’re good friends, kiddo!”

“You can’t trust anyone,” Virgil says.

“Oh, I am so sick of you!” Roman snaps. “You’re always such a downer.”

“For your own good,” Virgil snaps in exasperation.

“Maybe I know what’s for our own good for once.”

“No, you don’t,” Virgil says.

“Anxiety-” Logan tries.

“No!” Virgil’s aware his voice is distorting. “We’re not going through with this, Roman.”

“Stop being a baby for five seconds and let me do what’s best for Thomas instead of holding him back!” Roman shouts.

The room is eerily still and quiet. Logan’s arms are crossed, eyebrows raised. Patton stares at the floor. Roman continues to glare.

“Fine,” Virgil says through grit teeth. “I’m going to my room.”

He sinks out and waits. He waits until he’s certain everyone’s in bed, 5:00 am sharp. Virgil creeps into Roman’s room and feels his heart rate quicken at the atmosphere. Roman sleeps innocently in bed, papers tucked under a Bambi mug on the bedside table.

Virgil takes a deep breath and convinces himself it’s necessary. Thomas doesn’t need his heart broken again and if Roman goes through with his stupid plan… Virgil’s certain it will break Thomas into pieces. With yet another deep breath, Virgil quietly, much like a cat, climbs into Roman’s over-sized bed and slides the bag from his shoulders.

Slowly, he pulls out the black chains.

Quiet and gently as possible, he attaches one end to Roman’s left ankle and then the other to the bottom of the bed. He does it with the next ankle and Roman stirs. Virgil tenses. Roman blinks sleepily at Virgil then jerks up. His ankles don’t let him move and Roman visibly panics, jerking his legs again.

“Anxiety, what the hell?” he shouts.

“Calm down,” Virgil says.

“No! What are you doing?” Roman reaches for the sword at his bedside, but Virgil springs into action, pinning down Roman’s wrist. Roman yelps in pain and Virgil snaps another cuff to his wrist then snaps the other end to another one of the bedposts.

“Anxiety, stop!” Roman yells and to his credit, he puts up a hell of a fight. But in the end, Virgil wins, snapping the last chain onto Roman’s other wrist and cuffing it to the last pole of the bed.

Roman pants looking desperate and wild. “Have you gone absolutely mad?” Roman yells as Virgil climbs off the bed. He jerks against his chains and Virgil watches, something weird twisting in his chest as he sees the skin rubbing roughly on the metal.

“Be careful or you’ll hurt yourself,” Virgil mumbles, grabbing the papers from under the mug.

Roman manages to sit up but the chains keep him from moving off the bed. “Stop it! What are you doing?”

“I’m not letting you hurt Thomas,” Virgil says quietly. He pulls a box of matches from his bag and Roman’s eyes widen.

“Anxiety! Anxiety, please-”

“I promise I’ll let you go once prom passes,” Virgil says quietly. He strikes a match.

“No!” Roman yells. “Anxiety! Anxiety!”

“I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning too,” Virgil says. “I won’t let you starve. I promise.”

He sets the flame against the papers; it catches fast. Roman’s work begins going up in flames. Tears streak down the fanciful side’s face.

“You’re evil,” Roman hisses through his tears. “I’ll never forgive you. Never.”

Virgil waits until the papers are completely destroyed for him to cross the room and gather up his bag. Roman continues to glare as Virgil casts another glance at the bed.

“I’ll be back. I just can’t let you let Thomas get hurt,” he says.

“I. Hate. You,” Roman snarls.

Virgil closes the door with a heavy heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback?


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